On Your Plate

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Summer is the perfect season to stock your fridge with fresh produce that can be used in a myriad of ways to create healthy and balanced meals.

Throw together a bunch of mixed lettuce or grains, beans and chickpeas with vegetables such as corn, zucchini or avocado for a filling salad. Then cook some meat, seafood and more veggies on the barbecue for a meal that’ll happily feed the entire family.

Desserts should centre around the abundance of berries, cherries and melons that are in season during summer.

Keep kids happy with chicken wraps, hamburgers or nachos, followed by fruit kebabs or an icy fruit treat (simply blitz a frozen banana or strawberry with milk). All these ideas are easy to make and can be transported onto a picnic rug outside.

Eating outdoors isn’t only reserved for your own backyard or local park however. With summer comes holidays, and plenty of opportunities to enjoy a meal outside during your travels. Here are some tips for summer eating while on the road:

Plan ahead

If your holiday begins with a long car trip, pack snacks that are easy to prepare and eat on the go.

Veggie sticks are a quick, cheap option, with the added bonus that they do not create a lot of mess if they are consumed in the car.

Eat only one treat a day

There can be many more opportunities to indulge when you are on holidays and, exposed to foods to which you may not normally have access, the temptation can be irresistible.

There is no need to deny yourself everything. Instead, make that treat really special and memorable by forcing yourself to pick one naughty indulgence a day.

As well as making healthier choices, the treat will be more enjoyable.

Calories in, calories out

Much as we would prefer it if they didn’t, the laws of caloric intake still apply when we are on holidays.

If you are leaving your sedentary job for a week of hiking, you will need to take in more calories to account for all the energy you are using.

If you are moving from an active workplace to sit and read on the beach for a few weeks, you may need to watch how much you are taking in.

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